Negative consequences of the art business need to be watched
Negative consequences of the art business need to be watched
By Chandra Johan
JAKARTA (JP): The art business involving galleries, artists
and art lovers is relatively new to Indonesia. It developed
together with an art "boom" at the end of the 1980s up to the
middle of the 1990s. But the boom just touched one category,
modern painting, while other categories have not yet enjoyed the
boom.
Since then, sales and purchases of modern paintings have
increased, commercial galleries have sprung up, exhibitions have
expanded and prices of paintings have soared.
Now, with the boom lessening, another phenomenon appears amid
the crisis: new galleries are mushrooming in Jakarta, Bandung and
Yogyakarta.
In Jakarta, about 10 galleries have opened over the past six
months. Major galleries include Nomad Gallery, Fokus Gallery,
Anton Gallery, Inggil Gallery, Milenium Gallery, 678 Gallery,
Pendopo Gallery and Waroeng Kemang Gallery. This shows that the
Indonesian art world is entering a new phase amid the crisis.
However, amid the development of these places of art
appreciation, a number of side effects have popped up. The art
world is no longer being monopolized by academics, as could be
seen in the 1970s and the 1980s.
Now, when we attend an exhibition outside a gallery (hotels,
office buildings or restaurant-galleries) we are witness to a
growing number of artist wanna-bes. Some come from various
professions (designer, celebrity, architect and even bankers),
but a majority are female officials or businesswomen who use
their leisure time to paint and draw.
There are several factors why they choose this field to fill
their spare time. But it is clear the world of art is still
considered a prestigious and elitist arena. For this reason, the
wives of officials and rich businessmen are ready to pay
expensive teachers who are willing to give private painting
tuition in their homes. Also, for all this, they are ready to pay
fees to organizers who are capable of holding exhibitions for
their work, the themes of which revolve around flowers,
sceneries, women or dancers; standard objects which can be found
in standard painting books.
Organizers who do not want to suffer losses will charge costs
first and relatively big, between Rp 200,000 and Rp 500,000 per
person, and take between 20 percent and 30 percent from each
sale. Prices for these paintings are not less than the prices of
paintings by professional painters who already have a good name;
starting from Rp 2 million to more than Rp 10 million, with sizes
not more than one-meter square.
For the organizer, it is really not too difficult to exhibit
the artists' works. They will have lobbied the person in charge
of a building to minimize costs. Guest lists or buyer lists can
generally be obtained from participants who already have a lobby
and access to upper circles of society. There may be participants
who know beforehand that their paintings will be bought and by
whom.
In some cases, they invite a well-known government official or
businessman. The important thing is that organizers must be
smart, giving the exhibition a title with a noble theme, like
Beauty in Diversity, Quest for Cultural Values or Flower Nuances.
The aim to be reached is to sell as many paintings as possible.
Another capitalist-artist business relationship is the so-
called "foster parents system" and "salary system". While this
sounds strange for a world of creativity, it is considered
reasonable.
In the foster parents system the gallery gives capital to a
few talented artists. The gallery then sells their works at a
price it decides. There are galleries which set the price 300
percent higher than the price set by the artist.
For example, the gallery buys the painting from the artist at
Rp 2 million, then sells it for Rp 4 million or more. The gallery
is usually well-versed in selecting saleable artwork. If it finds
the work of a certain painter is saleable, then it will try to
seal a contract with the artist.
In the salary system, the gallery pays the artists a salary,
with a requirement that they must produce as many pieces as
possible for the gallery and then the gallery will choose from
those works. With, say, a Rp 2 million monthly salary, the artist
doesn't have to bother about how to make the ends meet. All he
has to do is create as many as possible, like a machine.
According to Jais Hadiana, owner of Darga Gallery in Bali,
there are galleries which apply sales mechanism ala mafia. In
this case, the gallery cooperates with the buyer of a company
which needs paintings for its building.
The company will buy a great number of paintings at a price
lower than the standard price.
For example, a painting by an artist who is gaining a
reputation costs Rp 15 million. The painter might get only Rp 5
million or less, while the remainder goes to the buyer (on behalf
of the company) and to the gallery. If the official buys 10
paintings, he will rake in Rp 100 million in profit.
Whether he gives a certain percentage to the gallery is an
arrangement made behind the scenes.
The above phenomenon shows that the world of art, especially
the art of painting, is still considered a mere business. This
business is complex because there is no parameter, pattern,
system, information reference or standard by which price is set.
The gallery cares about the business aspects, but does not
attempt to build its infrastructure. They are generally concerned
only with profit, not with creativity. Many galleries refuse
young artists' creations because they consider them unsaleable.
So, many young artists have turned to alternative galleries,
which can accommodate their creations, such as Cemeti Gallery in
Yogyakarta, or Lontar Gallery, Cemara Gallery and Milenium
Gallery in Jakarta.
In the future, this problem will threaten the business because
art lovers or people who like buying artwork as investments will
be confused and feel insecure about the asset. Because paintings
are still considered the prima dona for business, appreciation of
other arts will not develop. What will develop is a commercial
ideology, with a word parody of "just do it" (or "only money").
Quantity of work will come before creativity. More negative
consequences will have to be watched out for.